The Last Vestiges of Childhood
by MutedTone
Summary: How much did the Guardian Forces take from Selphie?


Author's Note: This was previously published in my personal website under the name Megumi-sensei. I am collecting all my fanfics on one site, so I have moved it here. No part of this fanfic's text has been edited, in order to preserve the words as I wrote them when I was young, naïve, and tormented.

* * *

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy 8 characters belong to Squaresoft and not to me.(sigh) Well, at least the story is partially mine.

* * *

_"Hey Seifer! Whatcha got there?"_

_He grinned and held out his hands. "Fireworks! Cool, huh?"_

_Sefie clapped her hands. "Yeah! Let's set them off on the beach!"_

_Quisty agreed. "Hurry up, or Matron will catch us!"_

_"You mean, 'or Zell might see us and tell Matron' ," Irvy replied._

_"Sis! Sis! Come on, hurry, and don't forget the matches!" From the door opening to the beach little Squall tugged Elle to the group. Sefie started propping up the small rockets with some pebbles._

_"OK, but I'll light the first one," Sis laughed._

_They all held their breaths as she struck a match and its tip glowed bright against the early evening. The fuse of one rocket quickly burned away._

_wheeeeeeeeessshhhhhh...BOOM!_

_"Oooo-WOW!!" they all cried as the fireworks rose up into the night sky, and became like the stars._

* * *

"Couldn't sleep either, huh?"

Selphie jumped as strong, familiar arms wrapped around her. "Irvy,"she smiled, snuggling close,"you scared me!"

"Sorry, Sefie." Did he imagine the look of hurt that touched her face at the use of the childhood nickname? "I woke up all of a sudden and decided to walk around." He chuckled. "We need to fix the lights soon. I almost tripped on some rubble. At least we have the moon."

Selphie, Irvine, Squall and Rinoa had offered to help Edea Kramer reconstruct the orphanage for the children who had lost their parents in the last war. It would not be easy; rubble had to be cleared, doors and fixtures reinstalled, the roof repaired.

"So what were you doing out here?"

She gazed for a moment at the moon's reflection on the water. "I was...thinking,"she replied softly. "I was trying to remember all I could. I'm glad, somehow, that we don't need the Guardians anymore. I don't know...how much I've forgotten."

He pulled her closer."You remember the fireworks?"

"Yup." She laughed."It was the first thought that came to me."

"It would be so like you. You always had a thing for explosions." After a pause, he asked, "Do you remember what happened after?"

"Zell caught us setting of the rockets, and said he'd tell Matron. I never saw her so mad!"

"And after that?" Irvine asked anxiously.

"After that?" Selphie looked up at him with a frown knitting her brows. "I'm not sure I remember. Do you?"

He closed his eyes briefly. "Of course. I don't think I'd ever forget that." He released her, then took her hand. "Come on, let's sit on the steps, if the sand hasn't covered them all up."

* * *

_"It's not fair, Irvy!" she sniffled, her toes digging viciously into the sand. "They were just little rockets! They wouldn't hurt us a bit!" Angry tears splashed down her cheeks._

_"Yeah," Irvy agreed, also sniffling but trying to stop. "It's all Zell's fault. He shouldn't have told Matron."_

_"He's mean! I wish he would go away."_

_"He is. He's gonna be adopted."_

_Sefie was so surprised, she stopped crying."Really? Why didn't he tell us?"_

_"He didn't tell me." In a softer voice, Irvy confided,"I was passing by Matron's office the other day and I saw her and this other lady talking about Zell. He's going to Balamb."_

_"Where's that?"_

_"It's a place far away, across the sea."_

_"Wow! Sounds like fun! I wanna get adopted too!"_

_"No! You can't!" Irvy cried almost violently. Then realizing what he did, he felt his face grow warm._

_"Why not, Irvy?" Sefie asked, surprised and worried._

_"Because you'll be far from us, and...I wanna be where you are, Sefie," he concluded earnestly, looking at their toes that were raking the sand. "I want to always be your best friend."_

_"Yeah, I mightn't have anyone to play War with," Sefie though mournfully._

_"And our army's gonna lose without you on the team."_

_"Hey, I know! I'll ask my new parents to adopt you too, so we'll always be together, okay?"_

_"But what if they don't want me, Sefie?"_

_"They've gotta! I'll tell them they have to take the both of us." She put a thin arm around his shoulder."I won't leave you behind."_

_"Is that a promise?" Irvy asked seriously._

_"Promise," she grinned, holding up her pinkie finger. He smiled back and hooked his own little finger around it._

_"Best friends...for always."_

_

* * *

_

"Can you remember now?" Irvine asked as they sat on the steps.

"Yes." She looked around her. "These steps, the sand...they've stayed the same." She turned to him again. "But that memory seems very clear to you, somehow."

He sighed audibly. "Because the next day, Matron said you were gone."

An eerie feeling shot through her spine."Is that how we got separated? I used to wonder."

Irvine nodded."I was depressed for a week. And then I got moved to Galbadia Garden. But I never stopped wanting to look for my best friend." The hurt crept into his voice."I wanted to think, maybe you just forgot. Maybe you got to excited over being moved, you didn't have time to say goodbye. But I felt hurt anyway." He lowered his head. "You promised me, Selphie. You said you'd never go without me. Why did you?"

"I...I..."Selphie faltered.

He looked down at the sand, stirring it with his boot. "I don't think you even remember the day you left Matron's house."

"What?" Her eyes began to sting. "That's not fair, Irvy! That's not fair, you know the Guardians messed with my head and I'm trying to..."

"Aww, forget it. Or don't try to remember." He stirred the sand some more, frustrated.

She drew in a breath. "Irvy, I did try to tell you."

_

* * *

_

_"Baby Sefie, wake up," Matron coaxed gently._

_"Mmm...five more minutes..." Sefie mumbled unconsciously._

_"There are people here who want to see you, darling."_

_"Hmm? Where? It's nighttime." She sat up sleepily. Then she saw them, two teenagers, a boy and a girl, dressed in what seemed to be black military uniform with silver accents._

_"Hello, Selphie." the girl began gently. "We've got wonderful news for you. You've been chosen as a student by the Trabia Garden."_

_"Garden? Why are you taking me to a garden?"_

_"A Garden's like a school." The boy replied. "But it's more then a school. It's like a big house and a ll the students live a like a large family. We'll train you so you can protect people from war. Would you like that?"_

_Sefie grinned. "You bet!" Then she paused. "Irvy and the others...will they go too?"_

_The girl shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Trabia can only take a few students at a time. We're not as large as Balamb or Galbadia Garden."_

_The boy coughed. "We have to leave now. The midnight ship arrives soon."_

_"But I have to pack my things..."_

_Matron stroked her hair. "I already did that, sweetie."_

_Sefie stood up. "I have to go and tell Irvy. He'll get mad if I don't."_

_Matron took her hand. "He's asleep, Sefie. No need to wake him up."_

_Tears welled up in her green eyes. "But we promised to!" She struggled to run into the hall. "Irvy! Ir-"_

_Matron held her back firmly. "Selphie!"she scolded, turning the child around to face her. "Listen to me, Selphie. You cannot tell Irvine or the others where you are going. There are many Galbadian soldiers scouting this place. If they find out that we're sending you all to Gardens, they might destroy this orphanage, or take the children away and hurt them. Do you want the soldiers to hurt your friends?"_

_Sefie shook her head, but tears still streamed down her face._

_Matron bent down and hugged her."Good girl,"she whispered, like she was about to cry herself. "You'll be an excellent cadette someday."_

_Sefie hugged her back. "I'm sorry 'bout the fireworks."_

_"That's okay, baby. Now kiss me goodbye."_

_"Oh, Matron, you're crying."_

_Matron laughed. "Oh! I don't know when I'll see you again."_

_Sefie kissed her, then said very seriously,"Tell the others goodbye for me, and...not to make you mad." She grinned. "Especially Irvy."_

_"I will." She led the girl, still in her pajamas, to the waiting Garden students. "Please be careful with her."_

_"Don't worry, Mrs. Kramer. She's in good hands." The boy took her bags._

_"Let's go," the girl said, and Sefie trotted after them, only glancing once towards the door where Irvy and the other boys were sleeping._

_

* * *

_

"That's why." Selphie tried to steady her voice."After that, I thought about running away from Trabia because I didn't know anyone and I was bored. But it was such a big place for a small girl, and suddenly I had many people with me and so much to do. A few years later I started using Guardian Forces, then I thought less and less about leaving." She buried her face in her arms. "I'm sorry if it hurt when you woke up and I wasn't there, but I'm not sorry I broke that promise."

An awkward pause.

"Umm...Sefie?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm sorry too. For being mean and all, about that."

She sat up and wiped her eyes. "It's okay, Irvy. At least things are clear now, to both of us."

Irvine put his arms around her again."I didn't understand it, then. I was wondering when I could ask you about it. I didn't even know if we'd see each other again. I was angry at first, at you, because you left without me, then I was angry at me, for believing you. A kid has a way of believing in the unforeseen."

"Yeah, I guess kids are like that."

"But I didn't think about that when we met again at Galbadia Garden."

"Really?"

He smiled. "It's true! I was so relieved just to see you guys again, and you in particular, and I had my mind set on just one thing."

"Which was?"

He lifted her chin. "That I would never, ever let you out of my sight again," he replied truthfully.

In the semidarkness Selphie felt a warmth bloom on her cheeks as soft lips touched her own.

"I hope I'm still your best friend," he said uncertainly.

"You always will be." She snuggled close, to his delight.

"Is that a promise?"

Selphie smiled. "You bet!" She held up her pinkie finger. "And I'll be sure to keep it."

Irvine curled his own little finger around hers, and they both laughed, just as the first rays of the sun started to glimmer over the sea.

_

* * *

_

Finished 05-02-01. Pretty long fic, huh? I guess I'm just making up for lost time!

_

* * *

_


End file.
